Page 126 of Push

Gwen shot me a wry smile. “Get a bit jealous, did he?”

“A bit? His face was like a beetroot!”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with John.” She turned around, shimmying her hips and throwing me a look over her shoulder.

I took the hint, passing Noah to her so I could zip up her dress. I took an extra-long peek at the sliver of pale skin but bit back the urge to trace the gap with my fingertips. When Gwen was zipped in tight, I resisted the urge to kiss the back of her neck, too. I missed those little touches so much. Would we ever get back there?

“I like spending time with John,” I said with a shrug. “We’re making progress on his car. He’s teaching me a lot.” I paused.Should I…?“I was thinking, though…” I took a deep breath. “I want to go back to work.”

“At theclinic?” Gwen’s voice pitched up. “Toby—”

“No. Somewhere else.Notthe clinic. I can’t be in the same room as Ian, and there aren’t enough brownies in the world toconvince Judy it’s a good idea. She’d be tearing her hair out trying to schedule the two of us so we’re never there at the same time.”

“From what I’ve heard, she’s tearing her hair out anyway.” Gwen held out Noah. We played tag-team, swapping him so that he was on my hip, and she headed to the bed.

My eyebrows popped up. “You talked to Judy?”

“I saw her at the coffee shop this morning.” She sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on her sandals. “Her exact words were that Ian’s useless. She said he’s always late, leaves early, and calls in sick. Money’s flying out the door because now she’s paying through the nose for two fill-ins.” She grimaced and added a sarcastic, “Surprise!”

I snorted. It was no surprise to me. I’d been running on that hamster wheel for over a year. “Well, that’s what they get. I’ve got zero sympathy when I was the one given my marching orders.”

“You can hardly blame Judy for telling you to leave that day. What else was she supposed to do? You punched Ian.”

“Correction. I punched the s-h-i-t out of him.” I smiled sweetly at Noah. He chewed on his fist without a care in the world. Daddy could swear just this once. “Andhe deserved it. I don’t know. I’m just…” I puffed out a breath. “I’ve had a lot of time to think it through… Talk things out with the guys.”

“The guys?”

“Dylan… Zach… John. I’ve figured out where my head’s at, and the whole situation is pretty s-h-i-t. I busted my butt for months to keep the clinic in the black. I made a lot of bad choices, but putting aside the personal stuff,no onewas in my corner. I mean, just look how my phone’s been ringing off the hook from everyone making sure I’m okay.”

Gwen studied me for a moment, her gaze on me instead of the buckle she fiddled with on her sandal. “Is it a good idea to commit yourself to a job somewhere else?”

I shrugged. “The partnership’s going to end. Dissolving my stake instead of kicking Ian out should make it easier for the lawyer, right? And running a clinic is a lot of damn work. I never dreamed of opening a heap of locations or retiring at forty like Ian wanted. I don’t mind working hard, but I’d be working half as much for someone else, and I’d have a lot more flexibility to look after Noah.”

“And financially?” she asked, distracted as she buckled her other sandal.

“I’ve got a rich wife who earns mega bucks.” I waggled my eyebrows, but Gwen shot me a sharp look.Ouch.I sighed. “You know I’d never put us in a position where we have to worry. A new job would be less money, but not that much, all things considered. We always have money from the trust trickling in, and I should get all the capital out of the clinic. I think this can work. Iwantthis, but it needs to be okay with you.”

“Your work is your domain, Tobes. If it’ll make you happy and you can still help me manage everything fifty-fifty, go ahead.”

“Really?”

“Sure. It sounds like you’ve thought it through.”

“Oh, yeah. I planned it all out and then talked it through with John. He said it was a good idea.”

Gwen nodded, a small smile dancing on her lips. “Well, ifJohnsaid so.”

I whistled when I pulled the car to a stop outside Catalina’s big blue house. Not an apartment.House. InBondi. Two enormousstories were crammed on a narrow block, the fence almost touching the house on both sides. We were a few streets from the beach, but a place like this would still set you back some serious cash.

Grinning, I turned to Gwen. “Catalina really is planning for a whole football team of grandkids, huh? This place is huge!”

Gwen swallowed. Her fingers curled around the seatbelt, but she didn’t unbuckle it.

I dropped a hand on her knee. “Hey, it’s okay.” She nodded, but I don’t think she was listening. She was stuck in her head, overthinking. “Lunch will be great.”

“What if…” She bit her lip.

My heart twisted in my chest. I hated seeing her so unsure of herself. “Catalina’s going to love you,” I said softly, squeezing her knee. “And your dress. And your hair. And Noah. And that damn cheese platter.” I nodded at the overfilled plate carefully covered in plastic wrap resting on her lap. “And if all else fails, I’ll bribe Josie Rawles with candy to kick the mean old witch in the shins, and we’ll run for our lives. Deal?”

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